# 撫子
## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 撫 | 子 |
| な(でし) Jinmeiyō | こ Grade: 1 |
| kun'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 瞿麦 (rare, only for the "pink" sense)

### Etymology

⟨nade si ko$_1$⟩ → /nadeɕiko/
From Old Japanese, first attested in the Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki (733 CE).
Originally derived from 撫で (nade), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, stem or continuative form) of classical verb 撫づ (nadu), modern 撫でる (naderu, “to brush, stroke, or caress gently”) + し (-shi, continuative suffix) + 子 (-ko, diminutive and feminine suffix).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) なでしこ [nàdéꜜshìkò] (Nakadaka –)
* IPA: [na̠de̞ɕiko̞]

### Noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) or 撫子(ナデシコ) • (nadeshiko)
* [from 733] 瞿麦: pink (any flower of the genus Dianthus); especially, the 河原撫子 (kawara nadeshiko, “fringed pink, large pink”, Dianthus superbus)
    Synonyms: 野撫子 (no-nadeshiko), 大和撫子 (Yamato nadeshiko)
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 19, poem 4231:, text here
    奈泥之故(なでしこ)波(は)秋咲物(あきさくもの)乎(を)君(きみが)宅(いへ)之(の)雪(ゆきの)巌(いはほ)尓(に)左家理家流可母(さけりけるかも) [Man'yōgana]
    なでしこは秋(あき)咲(さ)くものを君(きみ)が家(いへ)の雪(ゆき)の巌(いはほ)に咲(さ)けりけるかも [Modern spelling]
* [from late 900s] Short for 撫子襲 (nadeshiko-gasane): a style of layering garments, with the front layer in the color of 紅梅 (kōbai, “red plum or apricot”), and the back with blue (Can we verify this sense?)
* [from late 1300s] a style of 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”), another name for 常夏 (tokonatsu)
* [from late 900s] a lovable, caressable child

#### Derived terms

* 撫(なでし)子(こ)合(あ)わせ (nadeshiko-awase)
* 撫(なでし)子(こ)色(いろ) (nadeshiko-iro)
* 撫(ナデシ)子(コ)貝(ガイ) (nadeshikogai)
* なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan): nickname of Japan women’s national football team
* 撫(なでし)子(こ)の若(わか)葉(ば)の色(いろ) (nadeshiko no wakaba no iro)
* 撫(なでし)子(こ)銘柄(めいがら) (Nadeshiko-meigara)
* アメリカ撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Amerika nadeshiko), 髭(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 鬚(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hige nadeshiko), 美(ビ)女(ジョ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (bijo nadeshiko)
* 伊勢(イセ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ise nadeshiko)
* 唐(カラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kara nadeshiko, “China pink”, Dianthus chinensis)
* 河原(カワラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kawara nadeshiko, “large pink”, Dianthus superbus)
* 小(コ)米(ゴメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ)) (kogome nadeshiko))
* 信(シナ)濃(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Shinano nadeshiko), 深(ミ)山(ヤマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Miyama nadeshiko)
* 麝(ジャ)香(コウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (jakō nadeshiko), 和蘭(オランダ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Oranda nadeshiko)
* 白(しろ)撫(なでし)子(こ) (shiro nadeshiko)
* 高(タカ)嶺(ネ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (takane nadeshiko)
* 竜(タツ)田(タ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Tatsuta nadeshiko, Dianthus plumarius)
* 野(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (no-nadeshiko)
* 花(はな)撫(なでし)子(こ) (hana nadeshiko)
* 浜(ハマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hama nadeshiko), 薩(サツ)摩(マ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Satsuma nadeshiko), 夏(ナツ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (natsu nadeshiko), 藤(フジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 富(フ)士(ジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fuji nadeshiko, Dianthus japonicus)
* 姫(ヒメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hime nadeshiko)
* 袋(フクロ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fukuro nadeshiko)
* 紅(ベニ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (beni nadeshiko)
* 細(ホソ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hosoba nadeshiko)
* 蛍(ホタル)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hotaru nadeshiko)
* 松(マツ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (matsuba nadeshiko)
* 桔(キ)梗(キョウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kikyō nadeshiko)
* 麦(ムギ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mugi nadeshiko)
* 虫取(ムシトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mushitori nadeshiko), 蠅取(ハエトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (haetori nadeshiko)
* 大和(やまと)撫(なでし)子(こ) (Yamato nadeshiko)
* 琉球(リュウキュウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ryūkyū nadeshiko)

### Proper noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) • (Nadeshiko)
* a female given name
* a surname

### References

* ↑ 1984, 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, relevant text online here.
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Paula Doe, Yakamochi Ōtomo (1982) A Warbler's Song in the Dusk: The Life and Work of Ōtomo Yakamochi (718-785), illustrated edition, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 131